-a play by Agatha Christie
Dec 29, 2014
Dec 20, 2014
Antelope Canyon
On our road trip to Texas we drove south through Utah into Arizona before turning east on I-10. This route took us through some pretty country at the east end of the Grand Canyon. Bee and I agreed the Grand Canyon was a little farther out of our way than we were interested in going this trip and decided to save it for another trip.
Instead, we figured we would start small and visit a slot canyon. As we drove through Page, Arizona we stopped at Lower Antelope Canyon to take a hike between its narrow sandstone walls. It was a good brake in our travels and we really enjoyed climbing through the canyon and marveling at its simple beauty.
I have always seen pictures of slot canyons (many of which are actually of Antelope Canyon) and have always been interested in exploring one, but had never previously done so. The tour guide was very nice pointing things out along the way and helping us take a few pictures.
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| Mushi also enjoyed the break from the trip. |
Dec 10, 2014
Actual Rocks
So, Hunny asked me what I wanted to do while we were in California. Since there was a lot of family around that could watch lil Bud, I wanted to try rock climbing again. We tried it back in Korea a LONG time ago and I loved it!
We finally had a day we were all available so Lost Boy, Hunny, lil Bud and I all pile in a car and go for a drive. About a half hour later when we get into the middle of nowhere I start to question where they are actually taking us. So I pipe up, "Where are we going?" "To climb rocks of course!" ... and it dawns on me... they were taking me to real rocks... I was thinking/hoping for a rock wall. Opps... "You said you wanted to climb rocks not pump plastic!" And I decided I was a wuss. I was terrified! I can't climb ROCKS!! I will get hurt! Or it will be too difficult. But it was too late and he had a point. It would be good. We like the outdoors, right. Heh heh...
We park on the side of the road way out in the middle of nowhere and start a small hike down into the woods. There was another group of people that were camping and had a MASSIVE slack line out over a 200ft drop! Obviously they were connected to the line but still! O.O NO! Well, it was pretty cool and impressive.
Anyway, we get to some rocks and Lost Boy got us hooked up and secured. He was going to be our belayer. I decided Hunny needed to go first and show me how it was done. I was still very apprehensive. Rocks are painful. Not so much the fall, but the knees and hands! But Hunny is strong and tough. We started with two walls that we could squeeze in between. Hunny did great! He came down and got me hooked up and told me a good spot to start for my height. Let's just say I did less well. But I was glad to get up on the rocks. They became (only slightly) less scary.
Lost Boy had a great idea of trying a different rock face. We found one close by that had a good slope and better hand and foot grips. Of course, Hunny went first again to test it out for me. It had a tall start but then got easier. However, because I am so short I had to make a few jumps. Thankfully, I had an amazing belayer to make sure I made them all. It took a bit of effort but I made it to the top! There is an amazing endorphin rush when you climb. I am so glad we got to go and that Draper did well. I am glad I have awesome family that takes such great care of me.
It was late by the time I got back down the rock so we packed up and headed out. On the way home Lost Boy told Hunny, "If Bee ever says she wants to go horse back riding, take her to a carousel." Not sure how I feel about that. :/
Thank you Lost Boy for the wonderful time on the rocks! Thank you ShootingStar Child for letting us borrow your Lost Boy.
We finally had a day we were all available so Lost Boy, Hunny, lil Bud and I all pile in a car and go for a drive. About a half hour later when we get into the middle of nowhere I start to question where they are actually taking us. So I pipe up, "Where are we going?" "To climb rocks of course!" ... and it dawns on me... they were taking me to real rocks... I was thinking/hoping for a rock wall. Opps... "You said you wanted to climb rocks not pump plastic!" And I decided I was a wuss. I was terrified! I can't climb ROCKS!! I will get hurt! Or it will be too difficult. But it was too late and he had a point. It would be good. We like the outdoors, right. Heh heh...We park on the side of the road way out in the middle of nowhere and start a small hike down into the woods. There was another group of people that were camping and had a MASSIVE slack line out over a 200ft drop! Obviously they were connected to the line but still! O.O NO! Well, it was pretty cool and impressive.
Anyway, we get to some rocks and Lost Boy got us hooked up and secured. He was going to be our belayer. I decided Hunny needed to go first and show me how it was done. I was still very apprehensive. Rocks are painful. Not so much the fall, but the knees and hands! But Hunny is strong and tough. We started with two walls that we could squeeze in between. Hunny did great! He came down and got me hooked up and told me a good spot to start for my height. Let's just say I did less well. But I was glad to get up on the rocks. They became (only slightly) less scary.
Lost Boy had a great idea of trying a different rock face. We found one close by that had a good slope and better hand and foot grips. Of course, Hunny went first again to test it out for me. It had a tall start but then got easier. However, because I am so short I had to make a few jumps. Thankfully, I had an amazing belayer to make sure I made them all. It took a bit of effort but I made it to the top! There is an amazing endorphin rush when you climb. I am so glad we got to go and that Draper did well. I am glad I have awesome family that takes such great care of me.It was late by the time I got back down the rock so we packed up and headed out. On the way home Lost Boy told Hunny, "If Bee ever says she wants to go horse back riding, take her to a carousel." Not sure how I feel about that. :/
Thank you Lost Boy for the wonderful time on the rocks! Thank you ShootingStar Child for letting us borrow your Lost Boy.
Dec 6, 2014
2 months and a hare
Travelling!...where to start? I have kind of been putting this post off for a while because it seems like a daunting task to me. The good thing is, the longer I wait the less I remember so the less material I have to work with and the shorter the post. :D ...I know I can be a little long winded sometimes in my posts so it sounds like a win-win. I will keep this one short.Bee and I successfully made it from Korea to California with our 2-month old lil' Bud and one-of-a-kind radbit. After a short break in California the four of us squeezed into my xtra-cab truck and made our way to our new home in Texas. We did take a small detour with a stop in Salt Lake City to visit Temple Square and watch General Conference. Great Experience!
From there we went south. We tried to visit some friends in Arizona but they didn't answer their phones :c We spent a night in El Paso to visit some other friends and then hit the final stretch into the heart of Texas. We made it! All four of us! Mushi did remarkably well, and lil Bud took a while to adjust. He was not a fan of life on the road and living in the hotel for a week was not a whole lot better. It was a relief for all of us when we finally had a permanent place to lay our heads.
Special thanks to ShootingStar Child & LostBoy, Fred & Stef, and Dusty & April for letting us stay at there places while en route. We love you all!
...so much for being short. :D
Nov 30, 2014
And we're back!
Hello friends, it has been a while. We have been non-stop and a lot of change has transpired. Things have been very busy for Bee and I over the last few months and I don't really see any sign of it slowing down in the near future.
We have finally moved in to our new home and are mostly unpacked, if not unorganized... But we are here and we love our new home. Hunny found us the perfect spot! We had been looking around like crazy mad men. We had almost settled on a nice place, got approved and everything when Hunny decided to check out this one last spot. It is kind of out in the middle of nowhere but so close and easy to get to everywhere. There is only one neighbor to our left and one to our right. And they are both wonderful people! We have a nice size back yard. Land! Grass! Something we missed in Korea! And because we live out of the way (not surrounded by hundreds of other houses) and with a nice sized yard, we can have chickens!! We didn't waste anytime on getting them. We got eight straight run chicks, which means we have NO idea how many will be egg-layers and how many will be dinner. ;) 
Hunny used this opportunity as an excuse to get some power tools. He built up a coop for them and they will be going out back soon. (They have been living in a mostly built coop in the garage until Hunny has a moment in his schedule in which he can finish the coop.)Also with a yard, we want a garden. I would LOVE to do aquaponics and Hunny wants raised beds. Either way, we have other things higher on the priority list so both are on the back burner. But we do have a small tank and some fish! So we are closer to aquaponics than raised beds so... :P Our lil' Bud loves watching the fish in the tank. Whenever he is unhappy or tired we can just put him in front of the tank and he will look around for the fish and calm down. We also have bubbles in the tank that he enjoys watching.
Nov 15, 2014
Change
Hello family and friends. It has been a while.
We have had a very busy last few months with lots of adventures and changes. We plan to catch you all up on all that has transpired but for now I just wanted to let each of you know that we haven't forgotten about you and that we plan to keep this blog alive even though we have moved back to the States.
We hope you like our new look and we hope you will stay posted for many more changes and updates in the near future.
As always, we love you and are grateful to be blessed with you in our lives.
-Hunny, Bee, and Lil' Bud
We have had a very busy last few months with lots of adventures and changes. We plan to catch you all up on all that has transpired but for now I just wanted to let each of you know that we haven't forgotten about you and that we plan to keep this blog alive even though we have moved back to the States.
We hope you like our new look and we hope you will stay posted for many more changes and updates in the near future.
As always, we love you and are grateful to be blessed with you in our lives.
-Hunny, Bee, and Lil' Bud
Oct 11, 2014
Yang Yang Repeat
If you all remember, we camped out on the beach a few years ago over Memorial Day. My mom enjoyed that post so much that she said we had to take her when she came out to visit. Bee and I were certainly okay with that as we had such a wonderful time when we went last time.
My parents both enjoy camping which is likely where my affinity for it stems from. While Mom and Dad were visiting Bee did a wonderful job showing them around the days I had to work. The days I did not have to work we went on big adventures: we took a tour of the DMZ together on the anniversary of the start of the Korean war; we visited a Korean folk village where we witnessed the traditional culture and saw how they lived; we visited the hill where my dad's uncle died in the Korean war; and we camped out on our favorite beach.
Our awesome friends let us borrow their Denali while they were in the States so we were able to drive to the beach in spacious style. As we were packing up I thought that maybe Mushi would like to go with us. I wasn't sure how she would feel about the trip there and back but I thought it would be fun to take her. So we throw her cage in with everything else, put her in it, and hit the road.
It was about three hours out there and in was a nice trip with no traffic. We got there around 3:30pm, drove right up on the beach and set up camp. After camp was set up Bee and I relaxed a little as parents wandered around taking in their new surroundings. Mushi also had the chance to inspect her new surroundings. I dug a little trench for her in the sand and placed her carrier in the sand and one end of the trench and let her out to roam around. It was fun watching her explore the campsite and the surrounding sand. She did not go far and if ever she felt threatened she would hop into the trench to get out of view.
It was a pleasant and relaxing evening. we enjoyed some dinner and a small campfire. And of course, what's a campfire without s'mores!? The next day we explored the shoreline for shells and sea creatures and waded through the cold water until we decided we had enough fun. We all enjoyed ourselves and being able to get a night away on a sandy beach. I will always remember Yang-yang and the adventures I have had there. I was a delightful trip. the drive home was quick and we were able to enjoy many more adventures together before it was time for the 'rents to head back to the states.
Jun 9, 2014
Grave Hunting in Seoul
That is right, Bee and I went grave hunting. We went to a cemetery, found a grave, took a picture, and posted it online. That's not creepy, that's just what people like me do.
I am a member of the Find A Grave community. If you have never heard of Find A Grave I encourage you to check it out. It's a free online digital grave search. You don't have to be a member or sign up to search for your ancestors, all you do is go to their site select Search grave records and type in a name; or you can search directly from the box below! When you select a search result and you are taken to the 'Memorial Page' for that individual and there you will find the contributed information about that person. Most commonly this is information about where that individual is buried and a picture of the headstone, as the mission of Find A Grave is to, "find, record and present final disposition information from around the world as a virtual cemetery experience." But there can be other information and pictures contributed as well; anything from obituaries to dates of life events to achievements and even personal stories. You can often find a lot out about an ancestor through find a grave.
However, sometimes when you do a search you don't find what you are looking for, or there is very little information provided about a person. This is where it pays to be a member- especially since membership is free.
As a member you can contribute and request photos of a grave that is out of your reach, whether that be across the country or across the world. The members are the contributors. That is the beauty of it- it is a great big ancestry coop. If I cant find the birthdate of my great-great-granduncle but I know he was buried in Marion Cemetery, Kentucky, I can submit a request for a picture of his headstone in hopes that the information I need might be on it. When the request is submitted a community member near that cemetery receives an email requesting the picture. It is only fair that you must sign up and be willing to do the same if someone else requests a photo from your neighborhood.
I think it is a great service. It is something you can get the whole family involved with. It is a great Sunday afternoon activity. I got online and noticed that there were two pending request (a husband and wife) at a missionary cemetery here in Seoul, so I wrote down the names and the location of the cemetery and after church one Sunday afternoon Bee and I headed over to hunt for their graves. It is like a treasure hunt, but the treasure at the end of the hunt is not some physical possession, it is the happiness and satisfaction of knowing that you helped someone else find something he was loorking for. That's the best kind of treasure.
It was a beautiful afternoon to be out and Bee and I did finally find the graves we were searching for. Just as we though we walked the whole cemetery and were about to throw in the towel we found a one of the names on a small plot map provided by the cemetery. So we went back over to the plot we had already wandered past and found the two graves, one next to the other. We took a few pictures of the graves and of the plot map and I was able to upload them once we got back home.
I am a member of the Find A Grave community. If you have never heard of Find A Grave I encourage you to check it out. It's a free online digital grave search. You don't have to be a member or sign up to search for your ancestors, all you do is go to their site select Search grave records and type in a name; or you can search directly from the box below! When you select a search result and you are taken to the 'Memorial Page' for that individual and there you will find the contributed information about that person. Most commonly this is information about where that individual is buried and a picture of the headstone, as the mission of Find A Grave is to, "find, record and present final disposition information from around the world as a virtual cemetery experience." But there can be other information and pictures contributed as well; anything from obituaries to dates of life events to achievements and even personal stories. You can often find a lot out about an ancestor through find a grave.
However, sometimes when you do a search you don't find what you are looking for, or there is very little information provided about a person. This is where it pays to be a member- especially since membership is free.
As a member you can contribute and request photos of a grave that is out of your reach, whether that be across the country or across the world. The members are the contributors. That is the beauty of it- it is a great big ancestry coop. If I cant find the birthdate of my great-great-granduncle but I know he was buried in Marion Cemetery, Kentucky, I can submit a request for a picture of his headstone in hopes that the information I need might be on it. When the request is submitted a community member near that cemetery receives an email requesting the picture. It is only fair that you must sign up and be willing to do the same if someone else requests a photo from your neighborhood.
I think it is a great service. It is something you can get the whole family involved with. It is a great Sunday afternoon activity. I got online and noticed that there were two pending request (a husband and wife) at a missionary cemetery here in Seoul, so I wrote down the names and the location of the cemetery and after church one Sunday afternoon Bee and I headed over to hunt for their graves. It is like a treasure hunt, but the treasure at the end of the hunt is not some physical possession, it is the happiness and satisfaction of knowing that you helped someone else find something he was loorking for. That's the best kind of treasure.
It was a beautiful afternoon to be out and Bee and I did finally find the graves we were searching for. Just as we though we walked the whole cemetery and were about to throw in the towel we found a one of the names on a small plot map provided by the cemetery. So we went back over to the plot we had already wandered past and found the two graves, one next to the other. We took a few pictures of the graves and of the plot map and I was able to upload them once we got back home.
May 25, 2014
Hiking in the city
It was weird having a Saturday where there wasn't something going on. Last week we got to help with an Eagle project, cleaning up overgrown brush and raking old leaves and such. It felt great being able to work outside. But this week we didn't have any plans. We had barely mentioned ideas the day prior. The only thing Hunny agreed to do was hike despite my awesome ideas. It still took us a while to get out the door. Since getting farther in my pregnancy, it takes me a lot longer to get out of bed in the mornings, especially when there isn't anything going on.
We finally made it out the door after lunch. We grabbed some water and headed out, though neither of us knew where we were going. We knew there was a hill that had trails, we saw it! We just had to find the trailhead. Eventually we found one up a steep road. What with all my extra blood I'm pumping I was breathing hard, fortunately a lot of the trail was in the shade so I was doing okay. When I discovered that Hunny was as sweaty as I was I felt better about myself. It didn't help thought that we decided to wear black...
Because neither of us knew where we were or where any of the trails went, we meandered aimlessly from turn to turn. Though Hunny seemed to be picking the trails that went up. Every so often there would be some exercise equipment. This is very common for Korea; because hiking itself is not enough of a workout. So every time we would come across some equipment, I would out Hunny on an interesting one. The first one was a barbell with a 10kg weight on each side. My mind converted this to 4 pounds each. When I tried lifting it and couldn't I just figured I was just that weak having lost much muscle from the first trimester. I then attempted to 'help' Hunny out by adding some resistance and rest my hand on the bar. After 60 reps though Hunny pointed out that my conversion was wrong... Very wrong. 10kg is 22 lbs. So almost 45lbs total... no wonder I had a hard time lifting it... And why Hunny didn't want me adding any extra weight. :)
Continuing up the hill we came across a nice little pagoda. We were pretty high up. We were much higher up then the hill we hiked for New Year's sunrise because we could see it a little ways off and it was way below us. Whew!
At another exercise equipment area they had a hangy upside down thing. You slide your feet in and flip over and hold. Because I'm so far along I'm pretty sure I can't be upside down but Hunny sure liked it. I'm surprised they had it out in the open. In the States that seems like it would be such a safety hazard that there would be all kinds of restrictions and liability what-not's. Not here! Then just down the way a bit there was a bare foot walking course. Hunny gave it a go. Small pebbles and half logs, angled stones and tiny stumps. Not sure why people would submit themselves to such torture.
Trying to work our way back we got a little turned around from not knowing where we were going in the first place. We came across this high security fence line; double fence with crazy amounts of barbwire and security guards. Pretty sure we hadn't walked that far North... Hunny tried talking to the guard to see if he could cross through the gates that were there. Silly husband! He made me think that he didn't know where we were. Of course, pilots always know where they are and how to get where they want to go. We finally got going in the right way and found our way home.
The awesome thing was that we hadn't gone a mile from home before we were in a wooded area. It felt like we were out in the forest and away from the city. You could hardly hear the street sounds. It was nice and relaxing and a gorgeous day out. It didn't have to be a big ordeal, it was so close and still so nice. I look forward to going out again and exploring different parts. I heard that there are tiny waterfalls! And to think these awesome trails have been right across the street the whole time!
We finally made it out the door after lunch. We grabbed some water and headed out, though neither of us knew where we were going. We knew there was a hill that had trails, we saw it! We just had to find the trailhead. Eventually we found one up a steep road. What with all my extra blood I'm pumping I was breathing hard, fortunately a lot of the trail was in the shade so I was doing okay. When I discovered that Hunny was as sweaty as I was I felt better about myself. It didn't help thought that we decided to wear black...Because neither of us knew where we were or where any of the trails went, we meandered aimlessly from turn to turn. Though Hunny seemed to be picking the trails that went up. Every so often there would be some exercise equipment. This is very common for Korea; because hiking itself is not enough of a workout. So every time we would come across some equipment, I would out Hunny on an interesting one. The first one was a barbell with a 10kg weight on each side. My mind converted this to 4 pounds each. When I tried lifting it and couldn't I just figured I was just that weak having lost much muscle from the first trimester. I then attempted to 'help' Hunny out by adding some resistance and rest my hand on the bar. After 60 reps though Hunny pointed out that my conversion was wrong... Very wrong. 10kg is 22 lbs. So almost 45lbs total... no wonder I had a hard time lifting it... And why Hunny didn't want me adding any extra weight. :)
Continuing up the hill we came across a nice little pagoda. We were pretty high up. We were much higher up then the hill we hiked for New Year's sunrise because we could see it a little ways off and it was way below us. Whew!
At another exercise equipment area they had a hangy upside down thing. You slide your feet in and flip over and hold. Because I'm so far along I'm pretty sure I can't be upside down but Hunny sure liked it. I'm surprised they had it out in the open. In the States that seems like it would be such a safety hazard that there would be all kinds of restrictions and liability what-not's. Not here! Then just down the way a bit there was a bare foot walking course. Hunny gave it a go. Small pebbles and half logs, angled stones and tiny stumps. Not sure why people would submit themselves to such torture.
Trying to work our way back we got a little turned around from not knowing where we were going in the first place. We came across this high security fence line; double fence with crazy amounts of barbwire and security guards. Pretty sure we hadn't walked that far North... Hunny tried talking to the guard to see if he could cross through the gates that were there. Silly husband! He made me think that he didn't know where we were. Of course, pilots always know where they are and how to get where they want to go. We finally got going in the right way and found our way home.
The awesome thing was that we hadn't gone a mile from home before we were in a wooded area. It felt like we were out in the forest and away from the city. You could hardly hear the street sounds. It was nice and relaxing and a gorgeous day out. It didn't have to be a big ordeal, it was so close and still so nice. I look forward to going out again and exploring different parts. I heard that there are tiny waterfalls! And to think these awesome trails have been right across the street the whole time!
Apr 25, 2014
A week and 3 Days
If you ever feel like heading off to Vietnam with friends for a week just let us know. If we can't join you on your adventure we will at least watch your kids. That's right, we watch kids...all different sizes of kids too.
We have some friends that went to Vietnam but weren't planning on taking their kids and asked us to watch them. It would only be for a week and the youngest one is in 2nd grade. She made up a schedule for every day, had meals planned and everything. Let me just tell you this family is amazing to start. They are happy, fun loving people, and all very well behaved. We were thrilled to help these great people.
Because most of the time was during the week, we couldn't really do much. Kiddos got home at 2:30 and 4:30 and bed time was scheduled for 7:15. They each went to their rooms at that time but were allowed to read until their respective lights-out times. I'm telling you, these kids could not have been easier. Even the youngest would come home from school and pack her lunch for the next day. I just had to make a half a sandwich in the morning. Yup, she had the exact same lunch every day; down to her half a peanut butter and raspberry jelly sandwich. :)
We stayed up late and played Settlers of Catan one night and Saturday we went out. We took public transit to 2 different bookstores and looked around. We passed some vendors in our wanderings and looked at their weird offerings. Don't get the dried kiwi...it is not at all pleasant to the tongue. We figured, pineapple is delicious and dried pineapple is tasty, kiwi is delicious and dried kiwi is...nasty! We had to go get ice cream to set our our tongues right. It was a nice day out and we think the kids had fun.
It was weird having to lay down the law though. Tell them to practice piano when they tried to sneak out of it, or that it was lights out. My favorite was waking up the oldest, the two youngest got up on their own, but she took some coaxing. And then seeing her eat her standard Hot Pocket for breakfast every morning; till she ran out and switched to hot dogs... these kids are weirdos. On the last night before their parents came back I got them to clean their rooms. The youngest was amazing. I went in once and asked her to address the mound on her desk. A good, long, while later she called me in to inspect. O.O it was gone! When I asked if she had just crammed it in her closet or under her bed, she proudly opened all her closet doors to show that everything was put neatly in its place. She is in 2nd grade. She is quiet and odd (eating her cereal without milk), but she is amazingly happy and obedient.
I am sure they get it from their parents. They are some of the happiest people I know. And so loving. They set up a small gift every other day for us to give to the kids with a note about it and to remind them they were being thought of. Little notebooks to write their adventures with us in. Cute socks that match each kids' likes. Even mechanical pencils in their favorite colors because they know how much their kids like pencils. Weird! It was so adorable and I loved it. Their whole family was a great example to us and we got great ideas and things that we want to have in our family.
I am so glad we were able to watch these three Days and that Mom and Dad had a great time in Vietnam. It was a wonderful learning experience for me and we had fun doing it.
Because most of the time was during the week, we couldn't really do much. Kiddos got home at 2:30 and 4:30 and bed time was scheduled for 7:15. They each went to their rooms at that time but were allowed to read until their respective lights-out times. I'm telling you, these kids could not have been easier. Even the youngest would come home from school and pack her lunch for the next day. I just had to make a half a sandwich in the morning. Yup, she had the exact same lunch every day; down to her half a peanut butter and raspberry jelly sandwich. :)
It was weird having to lay down the law though. Tell them to practice piano when they tried to sneak out of it, or that it was lights out. My favorite was waking up the oldest, the two youngest got up on their own, but she took some coaxing. And then seeing her eat her standard Hot Pocket for breakfast every morning; till she ran out and switched to hot dogs... these kids are weirdos. On the last night before their parents came back I got them to clean their rooms. The youngest was amazing. I went in once and asked her to address the mound on her desk. A good, long, while later she called me in to inspect. O.O it was gone! When I asked if she had just crammed it in her closet or under her bed, she proudly opened all her closet doors to show that everything was put neatly in its place. She is in 2nd grade. She is quiet and odd (eating her cereal without milk), but she is amazingly happy and obedient.I am sure they get it from their parents. They are some of the happiest people I know. And so loving. They set up a small gift every other day for us to give to the kids with a note about it and to remind them they were being thought of. Little notebooks to write their adventures with us in. Cute socks that match each kids' likes. Even mechanical pencils in their favorite colors because they know how much their kids like pencils. Weird! It was so adorable and I loved it. Their whole family was a great example to us and we got great ideas and things that we want to have in our family.
I am so glad we were able to watch these three Days and that Mom and Dad had a great time in Vietnam. It was a wonderful learning experience for me and we had fun doing it.
Apr 20, 2014
Rejoice!
Family and friends, we have not forgotten about you! We love you! Happy Easter!
It has been some kind of busy for Bee and I the past few months. We have had a few small adventures here and there in the past few months that we have not had time to tell you about but mostly I have been busy at work and Bee has been busy growing our little Bumble inside of her. She is doing amazingly and so is he...that is right! We are pleased to announce that we will be Mom and Dad to a brand new Pinnegar boy come the end of July. We are both thrilled! We are excited to find all sorts of handsome little boy clothes to outfit him with...and Bee is making preparations to superfy him in all sorts of superhero outfits.
We are sad that we have not had time to have and share as many adventures with you lately but we hope to rectify things this month. We are glad that we are back in operation and look forward to many many adventures to come, especially the new adventures of parenthood.
We hope you enjoy your Easter! May we each remember the symbolism of this season and the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He lives! He loves each of us! In Him is our hope that death is not the end and that families can be together forever.
God Bless you and your family!
It has been some kind of busy for Bee and I the past few months. We have had a few small adventures here and there in the past few months that we have not had time to tell you about but mostly I have been busy at work and Bee has been busy growing our little Bumble inside of her. She is doing amazingly and so is he...that is right! We are pleased to announce that we will be Mom and Dad to a brand new Pinnegar boy come the end of July. We are both thrilled! We are excited to find all sorts of handsome little boy clothes to outfit him with...and Bee is making preparations to superfy him in all sorts of superhero outfits.
We are sad that we have not had time to have and share as many adventures with you lately but we hope to rectify things this month. We are glad that we are back in operation and look forward to many many adventures to come, especially the new adventures of parenthood.
We hope you enjoy your Easter! May we each remember the symbolism of this season and the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He lives! He loves each of us! In Him is our hope that death is not the end and that families can be together forever.
God Bless you and your family!
Jan 29, 2014
Ice Festival
We had a pretty busy 4-day weekend! Friday we went to the beach and Monday we went to an Ice Festival! Now I am NOT one for the cold. I grew up in Alabama and it snowed once and school was closed and everyone freaked out. But Hunny and friends really wanted us to go so I gave in. We got up pretty early and put on every layer of warm clothes that would fit. I ended up wearing a pair of Hunny's jeans so I could have on tights and long johns underneath. Oh yeah, I looked like a hipster. We carpooled with our awesome friends for the 2 1/2 hour drive. They went last year and knew all the good things to hit up. So when we got there we went straight for the ice fishing.
I've been fishing and it is pretty boring, but this was pretty cool. We got our sticks and were told to flick the pole up and down, so this way it is more involved than just setting it in the water and waiting. Well, no one explained to me how to reel in the fish. There was no reel and I didn't know how heavy the fish would be and if our measly little plastic sticks could handle it. So when my line went tight, first I freaked out in excitement, then I started walking backward to bring the line out of the hole in the ice. I backed right up into another hole. thankfully that hole was frozen over. But I can't say as much for the hole I backed into with my second fish... I backed up straight into it. My foot sunk in making me fall back. The water went half way up my shin. OH-Wee, it was cold! After I ripped off my shoe and sock, Hunny helped me hobble over to a huge heater where I steamed for a while. But I couldn't sit still long so I soon slid my damp sock back on and got back out to catch my last fish. Both Hunny and I caught our limit of three fish! That's more than any of the others. We would do well if we were abandoned in the tundra...so long as there were holes and fishing poles...
Then we got to roast and eat them! Well, sorta, they had already cooked fish. We essentially traded a raw fish for a cooked fish. I'm not a big fish fan, plus pregnant, I didn't eat a lot. But I sure did dissect it and label as much of it's organs as I could. :)
Next we went down a long slide on a tube. Five dollars for three times, but the neat thing was they gave you a voucher for $5 that you could use for food there or anywhere in the city. Pretty good deal! Then there were ATVs on ice. I wasn't comfortable on my own so I let Hunny do the driving and held on to him. It was pretty hard to control with little traction. But that didn't stop Hunny from driving our buddy off the track. Little Punk says it wasn't his fault :P We all had a good time. Our friends went on the giant tube being drug/slung by an ATV next. There was even a little hill to get them airborne.
My second favorite, after fishing, was "Running with Iron Sticks in Hand" - as translated by the Koreans. It was a small sled board and two poles with a nail on the bottom of them. You sit on the sled and pull yourself with the poles. It was hard to get started but once you got the hang of it it was pretty fun. But it wore me out pretty fast. We all lined up to race and you can guess who was the winner, Hunny with his long and strong arms. :) We scooted around a while before some of our friends had to go and we got the taller sled that is a bench and you run and push and jump on. Hunny pushed me around, mostly hitting or skimming by, scaring our friends. We plowed through the slow and ended up starting a slow clod fight. The snow was pretty packed and the kids would go and find these clods and throw them at us. Three kids were attacking me and Hunny came and grabbed one and pretended to dunk her head in the snow. Then we all turned on him and the four of us attacked him. :) The littlest one had found a clod bigger then her head and as she got close to throw it at him he kicked it while she was still holding it and it exploded in her face. We had a good laugh at her expense but she was a good sport about it and thought it was pretty funny too. We had our fun a little longer than it was time to regroup and move on to the next event.
We didn't have much time left. We were on our way to the snow field to make snow men but stopped on the way for our friend to sign up for the craziest thing you could think to do at the ice festival. She even got two of her kids to do it with her. They signed up to jump in the water and catch fish with their bare hands and put them in their shirts!! And you thought Hunny and I were crazy. She was stoked. Oh the people we hang out with... Well, we didn't have time to walk all the way to make snow men so we stopped and checked out a small shop and got a fried potato spiral on a stick. YUM!!
We got back for the participants to change and waited for the big event. The announcer was saying something in Korean and throwing bags of live fish to the audience standing around waiting to watch the crazies. And then they came out in their shorts and T-Shirts. They took off their sandals and walked around the edge of the small circular pond. They were instructed to stick in their feet and kick and kick, splashing the participants. They then had 20 minutes to jump in, grab up to four fish; three in their shirt and one in their hand. The whistle blew and they all hopped in. Their faces were priceless. Immediately son of Momma Crazy became disoriented and kept going back to the edge looking like he wanted to jump back out. And then a worker brought a fish over and put it in his shirt for him. I think he is traumatized now. Momma Crazy actually caught a fish! She reached down in the water and got one! As she was holding it up to take her victory picture it slipped out of her hands so she never got the feel of a fish down her shirt. Shame. None of our friends lasted the whole 20 minutes. They hurried out and put their feet in a hot bath and warmed up before going back to change. Crazy folks! And the Momma doesn't think that was the craziest thing she has done. My favorite is her story of their Eggnog Relay. In December her and a bunch of friends got together and decided everyone drinks a cup of eggnog and runs a quarter mile till you either puke or quit. Someone got up to 14 cups of eggnog which equals 3 1/2 miles. Whew! These people.
Anyway! They got all dressed and we headed out. We grabbed some dinner on the way home. Followed by ice cream for dessert (my idea) and got home pretty late. Glad we car pooled. But we had a great time and love our friends and their adventurous spirit!
I've been fishing and it is pretty boring, but this was pretty cool. We got our sticks and were told to flick the pole up and down, so this way it is more involved than just setting it in the water and waiting. Well, no one explained to me how to reel in the fish. There was no reel and I didn't know how heavy the fish would be and if our measly little plastic sticks could handle it. So when my line went tight, first I freaked out in excitement, then I started walking backward to bring the line out of the hole in the ice. I backed right up into another hole. thankfully that hole was frozen over. But I can't say as much for the hole I backed into with my second fish... I backed up straight into it. My foot sunk in making me fall back. The water went half way up my shin. OH-Wee, it was cold! After I ripped off my shoe and sock, Hunny helped me hobble over to a huge heater where I steamed for a while. But I couldn't sit still long so I soon slid my damp sock back on and got back out to catch my last fish. Both Hunny and I caught our limit of three fish! That's more than any of the others. We would do well if we were abandoned in the tundra...so long as there were holes and fishing poles...
Then we got to roast and eat them! Well, sorta, they had already cooked fish. We essentially traded a raw fish for a cooked fish. I'm not a big fish fan, plus pregnant, I didn't eat a lot. But I sure did dissect it and label as much of it's organs as I could. :)Next we went down a long slide on a tube. Five dollars for three times, but the neat thing was they gave you a voucher for $5 that you could use for food there or anywhere in the city. Pretty good deal! Then there were ATVs on ice. I wasn't comfortable on my own so I let Hunny do the driving and held on to him. It was pretty hard to control with little traction. But that didn't stop Hunny from driving our buddy off the track. Little Punk says it wasn't his fault :P We all had a good time. Our friends went on the giant tube being drug/slung by an ATV next. There was even a little hill to get them airborne.
My second favorite, after fishing, was "Running with Iron Sticks in Hand" - as translated by the Koreans. It was a small sled board and two poles with a nail on the bottom of them. You sit on the sled and pull yourself with the poles. It was hard to get started but once you got the hang of it it was pretty fun. But it wore me out pretty fast. We all lined up to race and you can guess who was the winner, Hunny with his long and strong arms. :) We scooted around a while before some of our friends had to go and we got the taller sled that is a bench and you run and push and jump on. Hunny pushed me around, mostly hitting or skimming by, scaring our friends. We plowed through the slow and ended up starting a slow clod fight. The snow was pretty packed and the kids would go and find these clods and throw them at us. Three kids were attacking me and Hunny came and grabbed one and pretended to dunk her head in the snow. Then we all turned on him and the four of us attacked him. :) The littlest one had found a clod bigger then her head and as she got close to throw it at him he kicked it while she was still holding it and it exploded in her face. We had a good laugh at her expense but she was a good sport about it and thought it was pretty funny too. We had our fun a little longer than it was time to regroup and move on to the next event.
We didn't have much time left. We were on our way to the snow field to make snow men but stopped on the way for our friend to sign up for the craziest thing you could think to do at the ice festival. She even got two of her kids to do it with her. They signed up to jump in the water and catch fish with their bare hands and put them in their shirts!! And you thought Hunny and I were crazy. She was stoked. Oh the people we hang out with... Well, we didn't have time to walk all the way to make snow men so we stopped and checked out a small shop and got a fried potato spiral on a stick. YUM!!
We got back for the participants to change and waited for the big event. The announcer was saying something in Korean and throwing bags of live fish to the audience standing around waiting to watch the crazies. And then they came out in their shorts and T-Shirts. They took off their sandals and walked around the edge of the small circular pond. They were instructed to stick in their feet and kick and kick, splashing the participants. They then had 20 minutes to jump in, grab up to four fish; three in their shirt and one in their hand. The whistle blew and they all hopped in. Their faces were priceless. Immediately son of Momma Crazy became disoriented and kept going back to the edge looking like he wanted to jump back out. And then a worker brought a fish over and put it in his shirt for him. I think he is traumatized now. Momma Crazy actually caught a fish! She reached down in the water and got one! As she was holding it up to take her victory picture it slipped out of her hands so she never got the feel of a fish down her shirt. Shame. None of our friends lasted the whole 20 minutes. They hurried out and put their feet in a hot bath and warmed up before going back to change. Crazy folks! And the Momma doesn't think that was the craziest thing she has done. My favorite is her story of their Eggnog Relay. In December her and a bunch of friends got together and decided everyone drinks a cup of eggnog and runs a quarter mile till you either puke or quit. Someone got up to 14 cups of eggnog which equals 3 1/2 miles. Whew! These people.
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